By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - Shoppers here can grab a parking spot - any spot - until January without fear of a parking ticket.

The city put bags over downtown meters this week to let visitors know they don't have to pay to park through the holiday season.

It's a short-term fix for a long-term issue: On-street parking in the Central Business District is limited, and shopkeepers want to welcome visitors while forcing employees to park further away. The city installed electronic meters several years ago at the behest of merchants, but almost a year ago merchants began asking for the meters' removal.

The $10 parking tickets handed out by the city's meter reader alienate shoppers, merchants say. Several have said after finding one on their windshield that they wouldn't return to Lebanon.

"I find that most people don't mind feeding the meters, it's that ticket they get," said Sandy Fuston, co-owner of the Village Ice Cream Parlor downtown on Broadway. "That's what they find so offensive."

Business was down for many of the Central Business District's antique and specialty shops in November and has been down all year, said Ms. Fuston, president of the Lebanon Antique Dealers and Merchants Association. Merchants are hoping for a better December, and free parking could help.

"This day and age when (shoppers) can go to the malls and not pay for parking ... we as small businesspeople can't compete with that," she said.

The merchants association is working with the city on long-term solutions. Lebanon officials are completing a parking survey, City Manager George "Pat" Clements said.

Also, the meter reader position has been eliminated as a city cost-cutting measure, so police officers will provide the only parking enforcement, Mr. Clements said. "It's fair to say" that'll result in less ticketing, he said.

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com